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My return flight to Singapore via London actually began in San Diego (SAN) a day earlier, on BA272, a 7.30pm departure which would get me into London at 2pm the next day.
If all went well, I would have a 5 hour transit stop in London before heading to Singapore on BA11 at 7.05pm that same day.
My bags were checked all the way through to Singapore. Knowing how unpredictable flight schedules were, not to mention arrival immigration queues, I was prepared to remain in the T5 transit area until it was time to board BA11.
But the stars were in alignment that day, and my flight from San Diego, a turbulent 9+ hour flight that was pummelled by turbulence from start to finish, and propelled along the route by strong tail winds, arrived in London 15 minutes early, at 1.45pm. Miraculously there was no queue at the Fast Track International Arrivals lane at the UK Border check either, and I was through in super quick time. I caught the Heathrow Express to Paddington and from there connected via tube to Oxford street...all in all from deplaning to Oxford street in just over an hour, by 3pm!
I spent the next hour and 45 minutes doing some shopping in London.
It helped that I knew exactly where I wanted to go...first a pilgrimage to one of the last remaining specialist classical CD / LP / music stores, Harold Moore Records, at Great Marlborough St, and then a stroll along Regent Street and Oxford Street, ending at Selfridges further up Oxford Street to buy meat, cheese and other items in the Food Hall there.
Selfridges will vacuum pack the meat and cheese for you for the long journey home. Just a bit of trivia: my experience is that half a dozen eggs in an egg carton will make it past carry-on security checks if you remove it from your hand carry and put it on the tray, along with the iPads and Laptops.
At 4.45pm, I left Selfridges and speed walked to the tube station for the short tube ride to Lancaster Gate Station, and another short speed walk to Paddington Station for the return to T5 on the Heathrow Express train. I was back at T5 by 5.30pm, where I headed straight into the airside area with my boarding pass, which had been pre-issued in SAN.
If all went well, I would have a 5 hour transit stop in London before heading to Singapore on BA11 at 7.05pm that same day.
My bags were checked all the way through to Singapore. Knowing how unpredictable flight schedules were, not to mention arrival immigration queues, I was prepared to remain in the T5 transit area until it was time to board BA11.
But the stars were in alignment that day, and my flight from San Diego, a turbulent 9+ hour flight that was pummelled by turbulence from start to finish, and propelled along the route by strong tail winds, arrived in London 15 minutes early, at 1.45pm. Miraculously there was no queue at the Fast Track International Arrivals lane at the UK Border check either, and I was through in super quick time. I caught the Heathrow Express to Paddington and from there connected via tube to Oxford street...all in all from deplaning to Oxford street in just over an hour, by 3pm!
I spent the next hour and 45 minutes doing some shopping in London.
It helped that I knew exactly where I wanted to go...first a pilgrimage to one of the last remaining specialist classical CD / LP / music stores, Harold Moore Records, at Great Marlborough St, and then a stroll along Regent Street and Oxford Street, ending at Selfridges further up Oxford Street to buy meat, cheese and other items in the Food Hall there.
Selfridges will vacuum pack the meat and cheese for you for the long journey home. Just a bit of trivia: my experience is that half a dozen eggs in an egg carton will make it past carry-on security checks if you remove it from your hand carry and put it on the tray, along with the iPads and Laptops.
At 4.45pm, I left Selfridges and speed walked to the tube station for the short tube ride to Lancaster Gate Station, and another short speed walk to Paddington Station for the return to T5 on the Heathrow Express train. I was back at T5 by 5.30pm, where I headed straight into the airside area with my boarding pass, which had been pre-issued in SAN.
. What eggs were you getting? What's so special about them? I always wondered about carrying eggs as hand-carry. What would be the maximum number of eggs one could carry? I think it was a question posed by someone on a BA forum once! How did you get the info about transporting eggs?
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